Big Spenders Monopoly Cash Goes To Charity

They wheeled and dealed, buying and selling real estate and throwing $500 bills around like confetti.

Within 90 minutes, hundreds of thousands of dollars had changed hands. But that money was nothing but bogus bills -- Monopoly money.

There was also real money at St. Andrews School Thursday, as students playing Monopoly raised almost $1,000 for the Children`s Genetic Disease Foundation.

``We want to help others,`` said Susan Mulnix, a member of the school`s swim team, which sponsored the event.

The idea for the Monopoly tournament was born after swim team members learned that high school senior Robin Lausten, the captain of the woman`s team, has Lupus Erythematosis, a serious disease involving the body`s immune system.

``We really want to help Robin,`` Mulnix said. ``She`s one of the best friends anyone can have. She`s a great swimmer and an All-American swimmer.``

The main goal behind the tournament at the private school west of Boca Raton was to raise money for researching the disease, not specifically to aid their fellow swimmer, organizers said.

To raise the money, the swim team collected $10 from each of the 80 players, mostly students from the seventh through 12th grades, who crowded around 20 Monopoly boards. Additional money was collected from the 20 students and faculty members who acted as bankers. Altogether, the youngsters raised $975, and the school likely will donate a final $25, organizers said.

Although raising money for charity was the top priority, another important goal was to have fun, the students said.

The fun often included shouting and good-natured yelling, along with some aggressive competitiveness.

For students like Greg Aucamp it was difficult to keep calm while amassing big bucks, even if it was just Monopoly money.

``I`m sitting on top of the world,`` he said, shouting through the din while waving a $500 bill.

Mulnix said swim team members frequently play Monopoly during breaks in swim competitions and thought they could have fun and raise money at the same time.

``I think it`s a marvelous idea,`` said the school`s headmaster, John Cotton. ``Financially it`s no benefit to them. A number of them did see it as a chance to help somebody.``

``Anytime kids are willing to help other kids, it`s a good situation,`` said Duff Tyler, who has been coaching the school`s swim team for 12 years. ``Our kids are a pretty unselfish group.``

``The extra incentive is because of (Lausten`s) problem,`` he said. ``The other kids look up to her very much.``

Tyler said swim teams have held fund-raising events in the past, but Thursday`s tournament was one of the few times the money has been raised for charity.

Although Lausten was suffering from the disease during the fall swimming season, she managed to end her swimming career by scoring more points than any other team member, Tyler said.

The disease is caused by the body responding to itself like it would to a disease, according to Dr. Donald Crampton, president of the Child Genetic Disease Foundation of Florida. The immune system can attack a sufferer`s organs as if they were a disease.

Crampton, who joined the students in the Monopoly tournament, said the disease is not usually fatal.

Like others who welcomed the student`s efforts, Crampton said he was pleased by the tournament.

``To have kids making a donation is a little unusual,`` he said. ``But kids are marvelous about this.``

The tournament consisted of three rounds, with the winners of each round advancing. The winner of the tournament, 14-year-old Brian Irving of Hollywood, will go on to play in a state tournament and could advance to the national championships. Brian amassed $7,641 in assets. His nearest competitor could only claim assets of $3,945.